The long-awaited YRBA luncheon return

Last month saw the return of the not once, not twice, but thrice postponed Yarra River Business Association (YRBA) luncheon series at the Belgian Beer Cafe with special guest Lord Mayor Sally Capp.

It was a who’s who of Melbourne’s river precinct stakeholders, from our riverside favourite restaurants, to a fleet of boating operators, all eagerly awaiting news of precinct reactivation and a sneak peek of the Lord Mayor’s flagship “Greenline” project.

Although the Lord Mayor did provide some information on the project, it seems the council were playing their cards close to their chest with impending announcements on the project in their crosshairs, resulting in a bit more sausage than sizzle.

The Lord Mayor was, however, glowing in her praise for the precinct’s many businesses owners and operators, some of whom have been the hardest hit by the pandemic.

“It has been amazing to see how you have all persevered,” Lord Mayor Sally Capp said. “The fortitude and tenacity that you have shown, the ingenuity and pirouetting, as I like to call it, that you’ve done to find ways to survive as business owners, support your teams and continue to do what you do best in your businesses has been truly inspiring.”

“Everyone at the City of Melbourne is grateful and admires you all for the work you do and do so well, so, onwards and upwards from here.” •

yarrariver.melbourne